Take Big Bites: Adventures Around the World and Across the Table [Mass Market Paperback]

Linda Ellerbee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2, 2006

Laugh-out-loud funny and salt-of-the-earth wise, celebrated journalist and producer Linda Ellerbee leads us on a gastronomic journey from Italy to Afghanistan, Mexico to Massachusetts, with some very entertaining detours along the way-plus photos and recipes.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Claiming to be neither food writer nor chef, longtime TV newswoman Ellerbee calls herself "a recovering journalist who's traveled and eaten her way around the planet and lived to tell some tales." She fantasizes about doing something she thinks is unattainable, namely, writing for food and travel magazines ("Imagine being paid to eat, travel and write about that, instead of the bombing down the block"). But she does better than that, writing a witty, easy-to-read book about food that's also a blend of autobiography, travelogue and self-help. While weaving interesting yarns about visits to such places as the Appalachian Trail, Bolivia and Vietnam, Ellerbee makes both humorous and poignant observations about ethnic food ("phô [Vietnam's national breakfast dish] beats the devil out of a bowl of Wheaties"); the task of trying to age gracefully; her relationships with friends and family; and the motley strangers she's met in her travels. Ellerbee also modestly admits to rarely eating in three-star restaurants and proceeds to describe a dish at one: "a little thingy of fried potato topped with a doodle of mashed potato and a dabble of olives and dried tuna roe.... Does this description sufficiently explain why I'm not a food critic?" As an extra bonus for foodies, each chapter ends with a relevant recipe or two. Agent, Mel Berger at William Morris. (May) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Veteran television correspondent Ellerbee is well known and well regarded for her verve, humor, and irreverence. A self-described "recovering journalist who's traveled and eaten her way around the planet and lived to tell some tales," she offers an amazing glance back on the times and meals of her life of 60 years. In the course of her meanderings, she describes her girlhood in Texas in the 1950s, coming-of-age and hippie-hood in the 1960s, marital failures, parenting success, career disappointments, breast cancer, and mature, true love--all against the backdrop of both fabulous and mundane locales and mouthwatering meals. Ellerbee recalls eating caviar on Malcolm Forbes' yacht and admitting that he was a far better human being than the one she had intended to lambaste in an article; discovering the connection between lunch and lust in Paris as she and her husband try to revive a flagging marriage; and rediscovering her mother's fudge pie recipe as she and her longtime Texas girlfriends recall their youthful obsessions (each chapter ends with a recipe). Readers who have enjoyed Ellerbee's And So It Goes (1986) and Move On (1991), and even those who haven't, will absolutely love this remembrance of a life well lived. It is every bit as delicious as the food she describes. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade (May 2, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425209733
• ISBN-13: 978-0425209738
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,010,355 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A delicious must read!, May 7, 2005

By 

Charles Tuna "Charles" (United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Take Big Bites: Adventures Around the World and Across the Table (Hardcover)

Ellerbee's escapades as she dines her way around the world is hysterically funny. It is a laugh-out-loud read about the life of one of Amercia's great journalists and greater writer. Her personal observations and honesty touch your heart and give a compelling insight into what makes this woman an icon.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A spectacular tour de force, May 18, 2005

By 

Jonathan Miller (Surrey, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Take Big Bites: Adventures Around the World and Across the Table (Hardcover)

It is rare to stumble on a book that you know is going to be a classic. Linda's latest reminds me of A J Liebling's already-classic saga of Paris dining, Between Meals. Liebling, too, was a journalist-gourmet. But Linda's book is possibly greater than Liebling's (and his is one of my favourites). Ellerbee has been everywhere and tasted everything. A Texan who was "going large" long before it was fashionable, and who has probably the most interesting address book in the world, her amazing empathy for people and her eye, ear and tastebuds all become the grist for some exquisite writing. Her respect for others, self-mockery, love of adventure and occasional sharp tantrum makes Take Big Bites a genuine literary achievement. Dare I propose that Ellerbee should be taken more seriously as an important American writer(I write this as a Brit). If Ellerbee had not become a TV star, she would have made plenty of reputation for herself with words alone. The charm of her TV scripts was always her clarity and precision - something not common in that industry. This book shows Ellerbee once again in perfect command of her stories. It is a memoir, a cook book, a statement of love for the world and its people, told in a unique voice. Buy this book and you will feel happier. This is not really a five-star book by the somewhat devalued standard of these evaluations, it is a perfect 10. Did I mention that I love this book?

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Isn't it a lovely ride.", March 22, 2006

By 

Phyllis Le Chat "Le Chat" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Take Big Bites: Adventures Around the World and Across the Table (Hardcover)

Ms Ellerbee has been one of my favorite storytellers since NBC News Overnight, when she would speak the news in such a way that it woke one up, made me curious about the world, and encouraged me to check out the facts for myself firsthand. This fine book is just an extension of her verbal skills. It is full of lovingly written vignettes, worldly experiences, spiritual beauty, salty character, and really tasty recipes from her travel adventures so you can live vicariously, gastronomically, alongside her. Her greatest plotline is to seize the day, day after day, every second of every day. It took me months to finish this book because I didn't want it to end, but during the last few chapters I just couldn't put it down. I'm so grateful to her for sharing these travel stories, these details, these colors and sights and scents of the world. I would recommend this book highly to school librarians, to book clubs, fellow travelers, lovers of the memoir and adventure story, womens' circles, those feeling their years and mortality. It is truly a beam of sunlight.